‘A glitch in the matrix’: Bushwick’s new jazz spot calls back to an earlier era

By Max Kalnitz

It’s 10:30 on a Friday night at Bushwick’s Ornithology Jazz Club and the evening’s main show—a piano, bass, and drum trio—has just ended. One by one, eager young musicians grab their instruments and hop on stage to participate in a jam session that will last into the early hours.

A few tunes in, the young woman sitting next to me at the bar says, “Look, you can see the musicians communicating with their eyes. A lot of times they’ve never played together. It’s magical.”

Anyone who’s visited Ornithology will tell you “magical” is an apt description for the club. Located on Suydam Street off Broadway, Ornithology—formerly the queer bar Bodeguita—feels more like a living room decked out for Thanksgiving dinner than a jazz club. Persian rugs line the floor, the bartenders’ art shares wall space with portraits of jazz legends, the owner’s teacup poodle Winnie wanders the premises, folding chairs await listeners.

Since opening in July 2021, the joint has offered live music, often twice a night, seven days a week with no cover. Open mic nights on Mondays and Wednesdays attract a consistent crowd of musicians, poets, and comics.

Given Bushwick’s artistic community, it is perhaps not shocking a jazz club has found success, especially considering co-owner Mitch Borden’s long-running role in the New York jazz scene. He founded the jazz clubs Smalls in 1994, Fat Cat in 2000, and Mezzrow, with Spike Wilner, in 2013.

But something about Ornithology is different.

If you build it, they will play
Borden says he and his wife Rie Yamaguchi-Borden opened Ornithology—the name is a nod to saxophonist Charlie Parker, one of the first musicians that hooked him on jazz—as he did with his previous clubs, with no intention of making money. As long as business is stable enough to pay rent, the bartenders, and the band, he’s happy.

In tandem with the club, the two founded Gotham Yardbird Sanctuary in 2020. The nonprofit aims to create jobs for jazz musicians and support local businesses during the pandemic. The focus with GYS will be curating live performances and offering music and wellness classes with local community groups throughout the city in which booking fees will in turn fund free concerts, says Yamaguchi-Borden.

“Build something for the musicians first, make sure they’re comfortable,” Borden says. “Eventually the squares will come, you know, the people that drink and spend money. They’re part of the scene because they fuel everything … But it’s really great to see all the musicians hanging.”

Musicians and patrons echo the sentiment that Borden’s musicians-first mentality is what makes Ornithology—Bushwick’s first true jazz club—a local favorite in an area better known for its EDM music scene.

“A lot of the people who are coming to the late-night jams are great young musicians who really want to play,” says Saul Ruben, who has been gigging around New York since 1980 and has known Borden since he opened Smalls. “Coming out of the pandemic, it’s a really nice thing to have a place to go see your friends and play.”

What sets Ornithology apart from other jazz clubs in New York, Ruben says, is the ease with which musicians can mingle.

“Jam sessions are an integral part of jazz,” Ruben continues. “That’s where you cut your teeth. That’s where you get your ass kicked. That’s where you learn from masters who are hanging around—not that there are a lot of great masters hanging out at Ornithology, but more and more great players are.”

Yamaguchi-Borden says offering a nightly jam session was an integral part of the plan for Ornithology. She knows Bushwick is home to countless artists and recent college graduates, and how hard it can be for musicians to find work after moving to New York. She also hopes allowing musicians to sit in with no pretension will help cross pollinate the new and old generations of musicians, potentially leading to gig opportunities.

“[Ornithology’s] openness is created by the jam session,” Yamaguchi-Borden says. “If this was just a show but later nobody’s allowed to sit in, it’s just like that. But the jam session, that’s creating community, that’s making space for the community because we know [the musicians] are our community.”

That openness is palpable as soon as you walk in the door. Talking to strangers, ripping a solo on stage, getting to know a first date, everything seems just a bit more relaxed at Ornithology. As the night goes on and more musicians filter into the venue, you can feel the anticipation throb in the room. Everyone knows they’re in for a singular experience; what they don’t know is exactly what will happen when someone sits in or what tune might get called.

Dida Pelled, a singer and guitarist, recalls feeling “blown away” the first time she visited Ornithology. The vibe, music, and people made her feel like something special was happening. By the second song of the night, she was on stage with the band and played the rest of the night. “Something is more chill and cozy at Ornithology and it allows for more experimental things, which is amazing,” Pelled says.

‘Tell nobody about Ornithology!’
The same type of experimentation extends into Ornithology’s tiny kitchen. To supplement the club’s cocktail list, Yamaguchi-Borden has curated a roster of vegan chefs to cook throughout the week.

One of them, Anthony James, has held a three-night chef’s residency at Ornithology since October. Not typically a vegan chef, James says he has had to come up with an entire menu from scratch. “Mitch and Rie are trying to do something very special in Bushwick. And I feel like I need to pull my weight,” James says.

Almost everyone I spoke to for this story described Ornithology as the type of place they’ll be a regular at until the vibe is ruined. Michael Betts, a mixed media artist in Bushwick, has performed at the Monday night open mic multiple times. He says Ornithology is a “glitch in the matrix” where the old school New York jazz scene has perfectly meshed with Bushwick’s attitude, resulting in a haven for artists.

“Honestly, we should tell nobody about Ornithology and keep it low key because right now it’s like, everybody in the room fuckin’ plays, everybody in the room is an artist, first name basis, no pretension,” Betts says. “Tonight, I walked in and they were like, ‘Oh, we were waiting for you, play.’ So, I played immediately.”

Now that Ornithology is off the ground, Borden says he’d like to open a second jazz club in Bushwick. As more musicians and artists flock to the area in search of cheap rent, Borden believes Bushwick is the perfect place for the genre to flourish.

“Four gas stations on every corner makes it a destination spot—’Oh, this is where the gas stations are.’ And they’re all full,’” Borden says. “The same thing would happen if we can get more clubs in Bushwick, they’ll all be full. Bushwick will become a hotspot for jazz. And I’m all in into that, because I know the listeners are here.”